Gunman Wounds Officer, Flees on Foot After New Hampshire Shooting Spree
Raymond, N.H. gunman Matthew Masse, 38, shot a Nottingham officer from a second-floor window before fleeing armed on foot; a multi-state manhunt continued Saturday night.
Matthew J. Masse, 38, allegedly opened fire from a second-floor window of his Ham Road home in Raymond, New Hampshire, on Saturday afternoon, wounding a responding police officer and triggering a multi-agency manhunt that stretched across state lines into the night.
The sequence began just after 1:30 p.m. when Raymond Police received reports of a man shooting at family members at the residence. Masse's mother said in a television interview that her son suffers from severe mental health issues and that relatives had gone to check on him when he allegedly turned a high-powered rifle on them. No family members were reported injured in that initial exchange.
When officers arrived and located Masse, he directed the rifle at them. A Nottingham Police Department officer was struck, transported by ambulance to a local hospital, and confirmed by New Hampshire State Police Major Brendan Davey at a Saturday evening press conference to have sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Masse then fled on foot, still carrying the long gun.
State Police described Masse as a middle-aged white male, 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing approximately 202 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes. He is considered armed and dangerous. Anyone who spots him is urged not to approach and to call 911 immediately.
Raymond, a suburban-rural Rockingham County community of roughly 10,900 residents situated about 20 minutes east of Manchester, moved into partial lockdown Saturday afternoon. Authorities issued a shelter-in-place order covering the Ham Road and Nottingham Road corridor, closed Route 156, and pushed an automated NH 911 message directly to area residents directing them to remain indoors. Raymond Police asked residents to refrain from calling the station unless reporting an emergency.
The search drew resources from across two states. New Hampshire State Police and the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office coordinated ground operations while the Massachusetts State Police Air Wing flew aerial support. Davey addressed reporters at approximately 8:30 p.m. Saturday; as of that briefing, Masse had not been located.
Anyone with information on Masse's whereabouts can reach the dedicated tip line at 603-628-8477.
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